Connections 1- Faith in Numbers

The Technological Journey:

Transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance:

  1. Commercialism:
    • The rise of trade and banking during the late Middle Ages fostered a shift from feudal economies to market-driven societies.
    • Wealth from commerce funded art, architecture, and scientific inquiry, fueling the Renaissance.
  2. Climate Change:
    • The Medieval Warm Period (9th to 13th centuries) boosted agricultural productivity, increasing surplus and trade.
    • This was followed by the Little Ice Age, which created challenges, prompting innovation in agriculture and resource management.
  3. The Black Death:
    • The pandemic devastated populations in the 14th century, but the resulting labour shortages increased wages and social mobility.
    • Wealth redistribution and reduced population pressure on resources encouraged cultural and technological experimentation.

Technological Links:

  1. Cistercian Waterpower:
    • Cistercian monks adopted and improved Roman watermill technology (e.g., the Barbegal aqueduct and mill) for industrial-scale operations like grain milling, cloth fulling, and iron forging.
    • This innovation was a precursor to the mechanization that defined the Industrial Revolution.
  2. Gutenberg Printing Press:
    • By adapting movable type and screw-press technology, Gutenberg revolutionized the dissemination of information.
    • The printing press democratized knowledge, accelerated the spread of Renaissance ideas, and laid the foundation for scientific inquiry.
  3. Jacquard Loom:
    • Invented in 1804, the loom used punch cards to control intricate weaving patterns.
    • This mechanization foreshadowed the use of binary data in computing.
  4. Hollerith Punch-Card Tabulator:
    • Building on the Jacquard loom’s principles, Herman Hollerith developed a punch-card system for the 1890 U.S. Census, greatly improving data processing efficiency.
    • These punch cards became foundational to early computer programming.

Themes and Connections:

  • Recycling Knowledge: The Cistercians’ use of Roman watermill designs exemplifies how ancient knowledge can be adapted for new applications, bridging the classical and modern worlds.
  • Catalysts of Change: Events like the Black Death and climate shifts disrupted societal norms, fostering innovation and resilience.
  • The Evolution of Automation: The progression from the Jacquard loom to Hollerith’s tabulator reveals a direct lineage of ideas that led to modern computing.